NHL History September 15 features the retirement of Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice “Rocket” Richard, two memorable Canada Cup championships, consecutive Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and an NHL milestone in China.
On September 15, 1960, Richard officially retired after 18 NHL seasons with the Canadiens, ending one of the most influential careers in hockey history. Sixteen years later, Darryl Sittler scored an overtime winner to give Canada the inaugural Canada Cup championship.
Then, on September 15, 1987, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux combined for one of the most famous goals in international hockey history as Canada defeated the Soviet Union 6-5 to win a legendary Canada Cup final.
Here is a look back at the biggest NHL and hockey moments that happened on September 15.
NHL History September 15: Biggest Moments and Milestones
1960: Maurice Richard Announces His Retirement
One of the most important careers in Montreal Canadiens and NHL history officially came to an end on September 15, 1960, when Maurice “Rocket” Richard announced his retirement.
Richard was 39 years old and had spent all 18 of his NHL seasons with Montreal. When he retired, he was the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer with 544 regular-season goals.
His impact, however, went far beyond the numbers.
Richard became the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season when he accomplished the feat in just 50 games during the 1944-45 campaign. The achievement became one of hockey’s most celebrated statistical benchmarks and remained unmatched for decades.
Richard also helped Montreal win eight Stanley Cup championships, including five consecutive titles from 1956 through 1960.
His combination of speed, intensity and goal-scoring ability made him one of hockey’s first true superstars. Richard was particularly dangerous in the playoffs, scoring 82 goals in 133 postseason games.
Even on the day he retired, Richard showed he could still score. He reportedly scored four goals during a preseason scrimmage against Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante before announcing his retirement later that afternoon.
Richard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 after the customary three-year waiting period was waived. The NHL later named its annual award for the league’s leading goal scorer the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy.
1976: Darryl Sittler Scores the Canada Cup-Winning Goal
September 15 produced another historic hockey moment in 1976 when Team Canada captured the inaugural Canada Cup championship.
Canada faced Czechoslovakia at the Montreal Forum in Game 2 of the best-of-three final after winning the opening game.
The championship game became a classic.
Canada built leads of 2-0 and 3-2, but Czechoslovakia rallied and eventually moved ahead 4-3. With Canada facing the possibility of a deciding third game, Bill Barber scored with just 2:12 remaining in regulation to tie the game.
That set the stage for Toronto Maple Leafs captain Darryl Sittler.
At 11:33 of overtime, Sittler scored to give Canada a 5-4 victory and the first Canada Cup championship.
The tournament was designed to bring the world’s best professional players together in true best-on-best international competition. Winning the inaugural event made the September 15 victory an important chapter in Canadian hockey history.
1981: Johnny Bucyk and Frank Mahovlich Enter the Hockey Hall of Fame
September 15 also became an important date in Hockey Hall of Fame history.
On September 15, 1981, Johnny Bucyk, Frank Mahovlich and Allan Stanley were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as players, while longtime NHL referee John Ashley was honoured in the officials category.
Bucyk became one of the greatest players in Boston Bruins history during a remarkable 21-season run with the franchise. He helped Boston win Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972 and retired with 556 goals and 1,369 points in 1,540 NHL games.
Mahovlich, nicknamed the “Big M,” was one of the premier power forwards of his generation. He won six Stanley Cups during a career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens and finished with 533 NHL goals.
Stanley was a dependable defenseman who won four Stanley Cups with Toronto during the 1960s and played more than 1,200 NHL games.
1982: Cournoyer, Gilbert and Ullman Join the Hockey Hall of Fame
Exactly one year later, another star-studded class entered the Hockey Hall of Fame on September 15, 1982.
Yvan Cournoyer, Rod Gilbert and Norm Ullman were inducted as players, while longtime NHL coach and executive Emile Francis entered in the builder category.
Cournoyer spent his entire NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens and won 10 Stanley Cups. Known as the “Roadrunner” because of his extraordinary speed, he recorded 428 goals and 863 points in 968 regular-season games.
Gilbert became the first New York Rangers player to have his number retired. The longtime right winger was one-third of the famous G-A-G Line with Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield and finished his career with 406 goals and 1,021 points.
Ullman was one of the NHL’s most consistent offensive players during a career that included the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. He surpassed 1,200 career points and played more than 1,400 regular-season games.
Having major Hall of Fame classes inducted on September 15 in consecutive years gives the date another notable place in NHL history.
1987: Gretzky and Lemieux Lead Canada to a Legendary Canada Cup Victory
The signature event in NHL History September 15 may have occurred in 1987.
Canada and the Soviet Union met at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, for Game 3 of the Canada Cup final after splitting the first two games of an unforgettable best-of-three series.
Each of the first two games had ended 6-5 in overtime.
Game 3 somehow managed to match the drama.
The Soviet Union stunned Canada by jumping out to a 3-0 lead during the opening eight minutes. Canada responded, eventually erasing the deficit and moving ahead 5-4.
Alexander Semak tied the game 5-5 midway through the third period, and it appeared the teams might be headed to overtime for the third consecutive game.
Then Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux produced one of the defining plays in Canadian hockey history.
With less than two minutes remaining, Canada created an odd-man rush. Gretzky carried the puck into the Soviet zone before finding Lemieux trailing in open space.
Lemieux fired the puck past goaltender Sergei Mylnikov with 1:26 remaining to give Canada a 6-5 lead and the Canada Cup championship.
It was a perfect conclusion to an extraordinary tournament for the Gretzky-Lemieux combination.
Gretzky finished the Canada Cup with tournament highs of 18 assists and 21 points in nine games and was named tournament MVP. Lemieux led all players with 11 goals, including the winning goals in Games 2 and 3 of the final.
From my perspective, the 1987 Canada Cup final remains one of the best examples of what true best-on-best international hockey can produce. Gretzky was at the height of his powers, Lemieux was emerging as the player most capable of challenging him as the world’s best, and the Soviet team provided an opponent capable of matching Canada shift for shift.
Three consecutive 6-5 games between those two teams almost sounds fictional today. Yet that is exactly what made the series so memorable.
2018: Bruins and Flames Play an NHL Game in China
A much more recent milestone took place on September 15, 2018, when the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames opened the NHL China Games in Shenzhen.
Boston defeated Calgary 4-3 in a shootout, with Jake DeBrusk scoring the deciding goal in the fourth round.
The game was part of the NHL’s effort to introduce the league and professional hockey to a larger audience in China.
The Bruins and Flames later played another exhibition game in Beijing, making the series the NHL’s second trip to China after the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings participated in games there the previous year.
While an international preseason game may not carry the historical weight of Richard’s retirement or the 1987 Canada Cup, it represents another chapter in the NHL’s efforts to grow hockey beyond its traditional North American markets.
Why September 15 Is an Important Date in Hockey History
NHL History September 15 connects several completely different eras of hockey.
Maurice Richard’s retirement in 1960 marked the end of a career that helped define the Original Six era. Darryl Sittler’s overtime goal in 1976 delivered Canada’s first Canada Cup championship, while the 1981 and 1982 Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies honoured some of the greatest players to represent the Bruins, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Rangers and Red Wings.
But the 1987 Canada Cup remains the day’s defining moment.
The combination of Gretzky feeding Lemieux for the championship-winning goal against the Soviet Union created an image that still represents one of the greatest collections of hockey talent ever assembled on one rink.
More than three decades later, that Canada-Soviet final remains part of the discussion whenever hockey fans debate the greatest international series ever played.
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